(MarketWatch)Apple Inc. announced its official interest in the nascent markets of both augmented reality and virtual reality at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose. Apple’s embrace of the two evolving reality-altering technologies with new software developer tools was focused on the future. Apple said the next version of its desktop operating system, Mac OS High Sierra, will have support for virtual-reality content creation for the first time, so developers can create immersive gaming, 3D and VR content on the Mac. It is also working with other virtual-reality companies, such as Unity Technologies and Epic Games, bringing their VR tools to the Mac.
“A lot of the industry has been waiting for someone like Apple to come in and legitimize the space,” said Tom Mainelli, an IDC analyst.